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The human brain is the center of the human nervous system and is a highly complex organ. Enclosed in the cranium, it has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times as large as the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size.

Winter depression is more common in women than men

As the winter months approach bringing holidays and good cheer, certain health issues may arise that women should have on their radar. From mental health issues like stress, depression and seasonal affective disorder (SAD), to physical concerns like skin care, the winter can certainly pack a punch.

6 Jan 2011

Researchers investigate umbilical cord blood stem cells for traumatic brain injury in children

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston has begun enrollment for the first Phase I safety study approved by the Food and Drug Administration to investigate the use of a child's own umbilical cord blood stem cells for traumatic brain injury in children.

6 Jan 2011

Boston Scientific announces acquisition of Intelect Medical

Boston Scientific Corporation today announced it has acquired Intelect Medical, Inc., a development-stage company located in Boston. Intelect Medical is developing advanced neuromodulation technologies for deep brain stimulation therapy.

5 Jan 2011

Neuroscientist says spatial strategies can reduce risk of dementia

Véronique Bohbot, PhD., neuroscientist at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and associate professor at McGill University, leads studies on navigational strategies. She presented her findings at the recent meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego, which could bring light into how we can make better use of our hippocampus in order to reduce the risk of dementia.

5 Jan 2011

Administration of therapeutic hypothermia for TBI should depend on clinical condition of individual patients

Lowering the body temperature of patients soon after they have suffered a severe brain injury may reduce neurologic complications and improve outcomes. The safety of therapeutic hypothermia for traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been demonstrated in national studies. According to a Roundtable Discussion of renowned experts in the field, when and how it is administered should depend on the clinical condition of individual patients.

5 Jan 2011

Unique vaccine produces long-lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice

Researchers from The Scripps Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Cornell University have produced a long-lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice by giving them a unique vaccine that combines bits of the common cold virus with a particle that mimics cocaine.

5 Jan 2011

CDS introduces new Diabetes DIC in the college curriculum

The College of Direct Support, an internet-based college for Direct Support Professionals and managed in partnership by Elsevier I MC Strategies and the University of Minnesota's Research and Training Center, has introduced its newest Disability Intensive Course into the CDS Curriculum - Diabetes.

5 Jan 2011

Alzheimer's Association applauds President Obama for signing National Alzheimer's Project Act into law

As the leading care, research and advocacy organization for Alzheimer's disease, the Alzheimer's Association® applauds President Obama for signing the National Alzheimer's Project Act(NAPA) into law. NAPA creates for the first time a coordinated national strategy to confront one of America's most feared and costly diseases, a disease that will only plague more baby boomers as they age.

5 Jan 2011

Safe vaccine protects mice against effects of cocaine

Researchers have produced a lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice by giving them a safe vaccine that combines bits of the common cold virus with a particle that mimics cocaine.

5 Jan 2011

Study on aberrant cellular localization in the brain

Normally, cortical nerve cells or neurons reside in the brain's gray matter with only a few scattered neurons in the white matter, but some people with schizophrenia have a higher number of neurons in the white matter. Neuronal migration errors may arise in schizophrenia as a consequence of both genetic and environmental factors.

5 Jan 2011

Anaphylatoxin C5a may be responsible for devastating effects of atherosclerosis

For decades, doctors have looked at fitness levels, weight, and overall health risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Now, they may soon add a new risk factor to the list: activation of the complement system. The complement system is usually implicated in immune responses, but now there's a role for it in cardiovascular disease.

5 Jan 2011

New mouse model with deficiency of lipoprotein lipase in neurons

Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have created a new and exciting mouse model to study how lipid sensing and metabolism in the brain relate to the regulation of energy balance and body weight. The research team, led by Hong Wang, PhD, created mice with a deficiency of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in neurons, and observed two important reactions.

5 Jan 2011

Low-radiocarbon nutrition permanently reduces genetic damage to brain cells

A new method of child and maternal nutrition could prevent a specific type of genetic damage that would otherwise occur in up to 160 million brain cells in each person over their lifetime. Preventing this genetic damage could have significant implications related to aging and cancer.

5 Jan 2011

Removal of ZIP proteins from hippocampus cell protects them from injury

Researchers in the Blue Bird Circle Developmental Neurogenetics Laboratory in the department of neurology at Baylor College of Medicine have discovered that zinc enters cells through specialized protein gates known as ZIP transporters, and removing these ZIP proteins from cells in the hippocampus significantly protects them from injury.

5 Jan 2011

Metabolic cost of missing one night of sleep equivalent to walking two miles

In the first-ever quantification of energy expended by humans during sleep, a University of Colorado team has found that the metabolic cost of an adult missing one night of sleep is the equivalent of walking slightly less than two miles.

5 Jan 2011

Researchers develop unique vaccine that produces long-lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice

5 Jan 2011

Get examined during Glaucoma Awareness Month

It happens slowly. Over time, a person's vision will get worse. Until one day, that person can no longer see. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the United States and worldwide. Unfortunately, there is no cure. Once a person's vision is lost, it cannot be regained. That is why Dr. Bizer's VisionWorld is encouraging people to get an examination during Glaucoma Awareness Month.

5 Jan 2011

FDA approves ImmunoCellular Therapeutics IND amendment for ICT-107 Phase II clinical trial

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd., a biotechnology company that is developing immune-based therapies for the treatment of various forms of cancer, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Company's Investigational New Drug (IND) amendment to conduct a Phase II clinical trial in the U.S. of ICT-107, the company's dendritic cell based cancer vaccine candidate for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

4 Jan 2011

Vaccine blocks cocaine high in mice - human trials likely

Researchers have produced a lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice by giving them a safe vaccine that combines bits of the common cold virus with a particle that mimics cocaine.

4 Jan 2011

Clinical Decision Support Systems help reduce unnecessary CT and MRI scans

Researchers from Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, WA, have found that clinical decision support systems can help reduce inappropriate medical imaging, including unnecessary computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, according to a study in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology (www.jacr.org).

4 Jan 2011